My Bad!

 

When a homeopath has been in practice for a while, they continually make discoveries. At least I have.

Don’t get me wrong.

I learned great underpinning stuff studying classical homeopathy! But real-life situations aren’t always included in textbooks — in homeopathy or any profession, for that matter. It wasn't until I had been in practice for a long time that I was able to understand homeopathy and health more fully.

The sheer number of people I've worked with has allowed me to come up with answers I would otherwise have not been able to uncover.

There are foundational aphorisms in classical homeopathy. But nothing in life is consistent across the board. With so many different kinds of people in the world and thousands of various health conditions and illnesses those people can suffer, how could there be one rule that holds true for every person and every condition? It just can’t be!

And with experience in practice, we learn “exceptions” to these rules … modifications to previously held thoughts. This is what I look to impart to you.

Let me give you an example. I had a client who suffered from severe arthritis. Her pain was so severe, she could barely walk from her bedroom to her living room; she couldn’t unload her dishwasher; she could barely move. She was in so much pain, she spent much of the day asleep because her body was under siege.

I taught her about Rhus tox 1M, once a day.

Well, a friend who was studying classical homeopathy warned her, “My God! NO! You can’t take Rhus tox 1M once a day every day! You’ll prove it!!”

And that’s exactly what I would have thought when I was a young homeopath, too.

But after I had been in practice for a while, I learned differently. I realized when you use a medicine that works really well but suggest that the client use it for only a week, the condition generally returns when they stop using it.

Then they have to use the medicine again for another two weeks. Then stop it again. Then restart it. Stop. Start. Stop. Start.

After witnessing this pattern in dozens and dozens of clients, I realized, “What the heck are you doing, Joette? You’re making these poor people suffer between the times they were abstaining because you don’t have confidence in being able to use your medicines every single day for months?”

This was my problem, not the remedies’ problem. It was basically MY BAD!!

So, I changed my own adherence to a classical rule — a rule that need not apply.

In the ensuing years, I have learned clients automatically run out of their remedy. Maybe they just aren’t suffering as much, so they don’t rush out to the pharmacy to replenish. Or perhaps they travel and forget to pack it. But eventually, for one reason or another, they stop taking it.

Now I am confident enough in homeopathy to accept there’s no need for an arbitrary, across-the-board time limit on the remedy.

If their condition returns, then we know they’re not done with the remedy. They should stay the course. If the condition doesn’t return, then we know we’ve made a good headway.

I’ve changed my obedience to many other rules. I’ve come a long way from the rigidity of classical homeopathy because I have been in practice for so long and observed so much.

Discoveries are made continuously throughout a homeopath’s practice.

Take the Drs. Banerji, for instance. There are countless examples but let me give you just one: a discovery they made in their clinic in India while treating 1,200 patients a day over decades. I debated a bit about sharing this story, but it is so fascinating! It’s something you certainly won’t find in the textbooks!

The condition? Shoulder Bursitis.

Many joints contain a bursa sac filled with lubricating fluid to cushion the joint as it moves. Whether due to an injury or repetitive stress, this sac can become inflamed, resulting in a very painful and frustrating condition. Bursitis can also affect the knees, elbows and hips.

The first remedy we think of for bursitis (actually most shoulder pains) is Symphytum 200, taken twice daily until very much better.

But purely by chance — in one of those quirks of discovery that can only happen in a remarkably robust practice — the Banerjis discovered when bursitis affects the LEFT shoulder joint, a different remedy can actually work better!

How did they make this discovery?

A patient came into the clinic suffering from both syphilis and bursitis in the left shoulder. Dr. Prasanta Banerji prescribed Syphilinum for syphilis.

You’re getting ahead of me here, aren’t you?

Yes. After taking the Syphilinum, the patient’s left shoulder bursitis went away.

So, the next patient who presented with left-sided shoulder bursitis was also given Syphilinum. It worked again. And again. And again.

And a Banerji Protocol was born.

(And by the way, this difference between bursitis in the right or the left joint only applies to shoulders. Not knees. Not elbows. Just shoulders. That’s part of what’s so fascinating about this discovery!)

In this country, even for a left shoulder, we still generally try Symphytum 200 first, as it is an easier remedy to find. But if it doesn’t act, you now have a very memorable story of the alternative the Banerjis discovered.

Learn.

Learn all that you can. Take in the books. Absorb the texts. But realize that it is the practice of our craft time and again that truly informs us. Without it, it can be our “bad!” Remember the discoveries that historical homeopaths have made, and also ones being made today — possibly even as we speak. So never stop learning!

And of course, pass on the good news of homeopathy!

Warmly,

P.S. How do I do this, you ask? An inexpensive, effective, and fun way to learn how to use homeopathy is through a study group guided by my Gateway to Homeopathy I curriculum. It is the perfect place to begin or to brush up on your basic understanding.

If you want to delve into a subject more deeply, I offer in-depth courses on many issues. Here’s a great Course Selector to help you decide which course would be right for you. You will never regret learning more about homeopathy and taking greater control of your family’s health.